Jonah

Metropolitan Jonah (born James Paffhausen, Jr.; October 20, 1959) is a retired American Eastern Orthodox bishop who served as the primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) with the title The Most Blessed Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada from his election on November 12, 2008, until his resignation on July 7, 2012. Metropolitan Jonah was the first convert to the Orthodox faith to have been elected as the primate of the OCA.

On June 15, 2015, Metropolitan Jonah was released from the Orthodox Church in America in order for him to be accepted as a retired bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Life James Paffhausen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to James and Louise Paffhausen. He was baptized in the Episcopal Church at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church. He continued attending a parish of the Episcopal Church after his family relocated to La Jolla, California. It was not until age 18 that he began preparation for chrismation in a San Diego Orthodox parish of the Moscow Patriarchate. Eleven days later, on November 12, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bishop Jonah was elected as Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America.

Jonah's election as metropolitan was an unusual occurrence in the history of the OCA, as he was the newest bishop in the OCA at the time.

In his largely-improvised address, Jonah heavily criticized how he had seen authority exercised by bishops and the OCA administration in the past. He stated that hierarchical authority in the Orthodox Church should be about responsibility, accountability, and spiritual fatherhood, rather than "imperial aristocracy". The following morning, Jonah received the most votes from the council delegates in two rounds of voting, and was subsequently elected by the Holy Synod to be the new Metropolitan.

Regarding ecumenical relations with non-Orthodox jurisdictions and Christian denominations, Jonah severed contacts with The Episcopal Church, due to their acceptance of same-sex relationships, turning to support the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). He also expressed a desire to establish full communion between the OCA and the ACNA. Jonah supported the creation of the ACNA, addressing his assembly in 2009.

Jonah let it be known that he expected his bishops to be present at the annual March for Life each January in Washington, DC. He publicly threatened to pull some 26 OCA military chaplains out of the American military if they were asked to officiate at same-sex marriages or condone homosexuality in any way. He made some statements critical of fellow Orthodox leaders and made it known he wanted to permanently move church headquarters from Oyster Bay Cove, New York to Washington, DC. While some Orthodox applauded his proposed changes, others objected over what they considered to be rash and intemperate remarks.

Other OCA leaders forced Jonah to take a retreat ostensibly for spiritual and personal renewal from February 25 to April 24, 2011. Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit assisted in temporary administration of the OCA during Jonah's retreat.

In 2011 and extending into 2012, Jonah presided at or participated in several events of historical significance in the Orthodox Church. These included a February 2011 concelebration with Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk and Archbishop Justinian (Ovchinnikov) of Naro-Fominsk in St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City. In that same month, Jonah also met Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

In May and December 2011, Jonah concelebrated with Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). These were the first concelebrations between hierarchs of the OCA and ROCOR. The May Divine Liturgy was the first concelebration between the Primate and First Hierarch of the respective churches, and the December liturgy involved many more bishops from both Synods.

In August 2011, Jonah was to have travelled to Prague to visit the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, but cancelled his portion of the trip in order to tend to the dying Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas. Bishop Benjamin (Peterson), who was to have accompanied Jonah, traveled to Prague in his stead.

Also in August 2011, Jonah's first book was published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. Titled Reflections on a Spiritual Journey, the book is a collection of several of Jonah's writings, speeches, and interviews, both from his time as abbot and mission priest as well as after his election as Metropolitan.

On January 1, 2012, he presided at the Divine Liturgy at a ROCOR parish, St. John the Baptist in Washington, DC, with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral). This was the first time an OCA bishop had led Divine Liturgy at a ROCOR parish, in the absence of any ROCOR bishops. Several OCA and ROCOR priests concelebrated on this historic occasion.

Resignation On July 6, 2012, Jonah tendered his resignation as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. A later statement released by the OCA's Synod of Bishops said that their request that he either resign or take a leave of absence for treatment "came at the end of a rather long list of questionable, unilateral decisions and actions, demonstrating the Metropolitan's inability to be truthful and accountable to his peers". The statement also alleged that Jonah had interfered with the proper investigation of multiple complaints of clerical sexual misconduct. witness testimony that contradicted the allegations, use of language that was apparently misleading and could have distorted press coverage of the event, as well as the allegations' apparent inconsistency with other OCA investigations and their conclusions. The accusatory statement no longer appears on the OCA website as of 8 December 2015.

Jonah and his legal representative engaged in negotiations with the OCA for several months, beginning sometime before November 9, 2012. These negotiations eventually resulted in an agreement with the Holy Synod of the OCA regarding his retirement on May 27, 2013, during a meeting at St. Tikhon's Monastery with Jonah's future successor, then-Archbishop Tikhon (Mollard), the current primate of the OCA, and other synod members.

On June 15, 2015, Metropolitan Jonah was released from the Orthodox Church in America in order for him to be accepted as a retired bishop within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

In September 2017, Metropolitan Jonah was assigned as rector of St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in Stafford, Virginia, and transferred his teaching ministry there.

In October 2020, Metropolitan Jonah relocated to Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia and founded St. Demetrios Orthodox Monastery, becoming the new monastery's abbot while continuing to serve as rector of St. Herman's. By 2023, the monastery had twelve members of the brotherhood.